"The only thing that's bothersome about it, is that I see being called 'fake news' as the equivalent of the n-word for journalists, the equivalent of calling an Italian any of the ugly words that people have for that ethnicity," said Cuomo on SiriusXM POTUS.

CNN's Chris Cuomo has apologized for his radio show comments comparing a journalist being called "fake news" to racial slurs.

During an interview on SiriusXM POTUS, Cuomo told Michael Smerconish that attacks on the press, which have become regular for Trump, are "the equivalent of the n-word for journalists."

"I was wrong. Calling a journalist fake -nothing compared to the pain of a racial slur. I should not have said it. I apologize," Cuomo tweeted on Thursday.

"The only thing that’s bothersome about it, is that I see being called 'fake news' as the equivalent of the n-word for journalists, the equivalent of calling an Italian any of the ugly words that people have for that ethnicity. That’s what fake news is to a journalist," said Cuomo in the interview.

He added, “It is an ugly insult and you better be right if you're going to charge a journalist with lying on purpose and the president was not right here and he has not been right in the past."

Trump has called CNN "fake news" on multiple occasions, refusing to take questions from journalists with the news outlet during press conferences. Trump once responded to Cuomo's interview with Sir Richard Blumenthal tweeting, "Chris Cuomo, in his interview with Sen. Blumenthal, never asked him about his long-term lie about his brave 'service' in Vietnam. FAKE NEWS!"

Cuomo said that "the president deserves respect" but commented on Trump's use of Twitter.

"When he says something that is false, or as you say 'demonstrably false,' that matters,” said Cuomo. “His words have implications, we’re seeing them, we’re hearing them echo around the international political sphere. It matters what he says."